Startling theory solves the sinking of the Mary Rose warship

(Presseportal openBroadcast) - Author Ray Morris has come up with a startling theory that could explain the 470-year-long mystery about why King Henry VIII’s favourite ship, the Mary Rose, sank off Southsea Castle in 1545.

The result is a fictionalised account entitled ‘Out of the Blue’

Ray’s premise effectively explains contemporary accounts that the Mary Rose heeled over because of the open gun ports. To help prove his controversial theory, Ray points to one book by John Hooker in 1575 (a biography of Peter Carew, whose older brother was Sir George Carew, Vice Admiral of the Fleet, and on board the Mary Rose at the time) which says that the blame for the sinking was down to insubordination among the crew.

Sir Gawen Carew, Sir George Carew’s uncle, sailed past the Mary Rose during the battle and seeing the Mary Rose was foundering, asked his nephew what the trouble was. Sir George replied that he ‘had the sort of knaves I cannot rule.’

Historians believe the ship was making a turn after firing her guns but the cannons found on the seabed were still loaded while others believe the ship was unstable when in full sail and heeled over in a strong gust of wind.

Ray, from Bilston, West Midlands, explains: “I’ve been interested in the Mary Rose and her sinking for many years and I have regularly visited Portsmouth to visit her and view the artefacts raised from the seabed.

“There are still unanswered questions and what strikes me is that the guns were loaded and that the gun ports, which were a fairly recent invention, were open.

“To me there was a disturbance on board and the ship was very close to Southsea Castle as can be seen in the Cowdray engraving. There is no logical explanation for the ship to be in that position and it was facing due north when found on the sea bed.”

Ray has turned his controversial ideas into a saga that spans the recruitment of two young men onto the Mary Rose and a modern day family that has links with those men.

The result is a thrilling read which grips with various twists and turns as Ray details the characters and episodes of the time and the story builds-up to explain his theory with a shocking finale.

Out of the Blue by Ray Morris is available to buy now on Amazon in paperback and ebook formats.